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We're going to Disney World (HELP!)

Chancellor M'rek

Chancellor M'rek

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Red Shirt
ok, planning a Disney vacation for 6 this fall (Octoberish) 4 adults and two kids, 2 and 8. Probably 5 days.

I'm so overwhelemed and confused. we want to go to all four Orlando parks stay as close to the property as possible, include a meal plan and late extended hours.

What's the best way to do this on about a 3,000 to 5,000 dollar budget?

Should I book through Disney or an agency website?
 
We took the family to Disneyland six years ago, 2 adults and 2 kids, 11 and 13. We stayed 4 days with Park Hopper to visit both parks (Disneyland and California Adventure), plus attending the late-night Halloween celebration that runs in late October. Analogous to your upcoming trip, but not on all points. We did not stay on the property, nor did we have a meal plan. (A coworker has gone to DW multiple times, staying on the property w/ a meal plan, and liked doing that a lot.) The financial element was different for our visit, so I can't speak to that.

The main advice I'd give is not to try to see it all. There is so much, and it's tiring even for an adult. And a lot of your time will be spent in line, unfortunately. Try to use the Fast Pass system as much as possible; it's a real time saver. (An adult can be your team runner, getting the passes for rides you want to go on later in the day.) Try to leave some free time in your schedule, for more leisurely meals or just as breaks between bursts of activity (rides, shows, etc). Many meal plans include a meal with some characters; those are always fun -- you get some time off your feet, and everyone gets some food. All plusses. And the characters are uniformly WONDERFUL!

You are very brave to do this with a 2-year old. They tire easily, don't like waiting, and don't understand what's going on much of the time. I saw several toddlers melt down in our time at the park. You know your child best; plan with that in mind. There may be times when 1-2 adults may need some downtime with the toddler (including a nap, probably, which might be easier if you stay in the park) while an adult or two takes the 8-year old to a ride or show. (This worked well for us. One night, my wife and younger child went to bed while the older child and I went back to watch a fireworks show. It made a special memory for my oldest daughter while the youngest one doesn't regret it in the least; she was dead on her feet. As was my wife...)

I'd say that's my biggest word of advice -- don't over-schedule. If you're always rushing hither and yon, you'll miss opportunities for some spontaneous fun. Take a picture with a character. Let the kids explore Toon Town. (OMG - amazing!) Have a Mickey's head-shaped snack. Take a carriage, train, or monorail ride and see some sights. Watch a parade. You know your kids; you know when they're wearing out or dehydrating. (Be sure to watch for the same signs in the adults!) Be open to changing a plan when necessary.

Go. Have fun. And if you do it sanely, you'll even want to go back to see all the stuff you didn't see the first time! :hugegrin: My whole family still speaks glowingly about our trip, and we'd all like to go back (or go to Disney World).
 
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- Plan for a LOT of walking. The Hollywood Studios park just changed its security policies so there's now only one entrance, and the other parks are deceptively huge. Long story short: Disney is not the place to break in a new pair of shoes. And bring some chafing cream / stick. All your bits and parts are going to rub together and it's not pleasant.

- Bring your own water; Disney's markups on bottled water are ridiculous. And you WILL get dehydrated, even in October.

- Animal Kingdom will be busiest in the mornings and evenings, as that's when the animals on the safari (its most popular attraction) are generally out and about.

- For whatever reason, Epcot is still the red-headed stepchild of the parks, and it never really has a busy time, so you can visit it whenever.

- Spend some time on the Monorail and explore the (I think) three hotels that are on it. The Contemporary is a magnificently weird beast of '80s architecture, the Polynesian equally so, and the Grand Floridian is absolutely stunning.

- Make your dinner reservations in advance, like, months in advance. There are Disney restaurants that are booked solid into 2018, no exaggeration.

In all seriousness, though, a two-year-old at Disney is going to be rough. The child likely won't remember much of the trip. You might be better off waiting a year or two so there are some lasting memories -- a Disney vacation is fucking expensive, might as well be worth it.
 
Chancellor M'rek said:
ok, planning a Disney vacation for 6 this fall (Octoberish) 4 adults and two kids, 2 and 8. Probably 5 days.

I'm so overwhelemed and confused. we want to go to all four Orlando parks stay as close to the property as possible, include a meal plan and late extended hours.

What's the best way to do this on about a 3,000 to 5,000 dollar budget?

Should I book through Disney or an agency website?
Click to expand...

To get the meal plan (which on that kind of budget you will want to) you'll need to stay on Disney property, and typically it's cheaper to do that on a moderate resort (Port Orleans Riverside I'd happily recommend, or Old Key West) where the plan often comes as part of the deal rather than getting a false economy on a budget resort wherein you'd likely have to pay for the dining plan on top. This is best done by booking through Disney, not an outside agency as such deals frequently crop up as exclusives.

Oh and yeah, expect to lose serious weight walking in that heat. Last time I was just off a period of deliberate bulking and dropped nearly two stone in a fortnight (although that was mostly fluid loss)
 
Spot261 said:
Oh and yeah, expect to lose serious weight walking in that heat. Last time I was just off a period of deliberate bulking and dropped nearly two stone in a fortnight (although that was mostly fluid loss)
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It's the walking, plus the climate. It's not uncommon for Orlando to have humidity in the 85 percent range even as late as October. Which brings me to a corollary to my point about bringing your own water bottle (there are fountains throughout every park): For the love of God, avoid diuretics. Don't drink coffee in the morning, stick to water or Sprite or non-caffeinated stuff like that during the daytime, and don't go near alcohol unless it's the evening and you're winding down the day (even though I know there's a huge temptation to get sloshed for cheap at Epcot).

You're going to lose so, so, so much fluid every single day just through sheer force of nature, which is to say sweating bullets, you don't need to help that along by consuming stuff that will aid the dehydration.
 
Finn said:
Paging @Tom Hendricks

He goes there with his family often
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Thanks for the heads up!!!

If you're thinking about going, you need to start right now. Depending when you go in October, you are close to the 180 mark to make dining reservations. If you know your dates, pick out your dining reservations and make them exactly 180 mark. Even if you haven't booked your trip, dining reservations aren't tied to a trip. If you can, I highly recommend staying on property. Yes it's more expensive but you get the use of Disney Transportation (buses, monorail) and using Magic Bands with Fast Pass Plus, which you can make at 60 days is huge. For staying on Property, I would highly recommend Port Orleans or the Art of Animation. They are both within your budget and we've stayed at both.

Download the Disney World App if you haven't already, it really helps with planning. You can also go to the My Disney Experience website to plan and look at your plans, the website syncs with the App.

If you're thinking about the Disney Dining Plan, you have to decide which version you want to use. The reg Dining Plan or Deluxe Dining Plan. The reg Dining Plan gives you 1 Table Service, 1 Quick Service and 1 Snack a day. The Deluxe Dining Plan gives you 3 Table Services but you can use them for Quick Service but that's kinda wasting a Table Service. The thing about the Deluxe, it always feels like you are planning your trip around eating. It also can be overkill in the amount you eat.

If you have any question, please don't hesitate to ask.
 
Chancellor M'rek said:
:-) i'm kickboxing and doing massive amounts of cardio and strength training everyday at the gym in preparation.
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Even the best cardio doesn't change human biology and fluid retention.

I'm also still really encouraging you to reconsider taking a 2-year-old to Disney. Toddlers are tough enough as it is and their patience isn't really well-suited for the lines and the waiting (and, honestly, all the noise -- Disney is LOUD, to the point of sensory overload).
 
Actually the mosquitoes problem isn't that bad, the Love Bugs are far worse but thankfully they are just annoying.
 
How exciting! I'm planning a Disney World trip right now as well. I go to Disneyland often but have only been to Disney World once. I'm really obsessive about planning so I'd be happy to answer any specific questions you have. We'll be staying at Port Orleans Riverside.

As for going to Disney with a two year old, I'm not sure. I personally wouldn't want to, but my sister and brother-in-law just got back from three days at Disney with a two year old and four month old and they had a great time. You definitely have to change your expectations though. You will need lots of breaks, you won't get to ride everything you want to, you can't see all the shows and parades. You are beholden to the needs of the kids, and can't just quickly walk back to the hotel when they suddenly have a melt-down. But as long as you're prepared for that and go in with the mindset that you are just going to relax, take it easy, and enjoy the sights and sounds then you'll have a great time. I'm the type that runs around trying to fit in as many rides as possible, but I know not everyone does Disney that way.

Oh, one other suggestion. If you haven't already, check out disboards.com. Tons of REALLY helpful people who can answer any questions you can think of. And lots of great articles and resources.
 
sojourner said:
There's an app for that now from what I understand. No more running around needed.
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Which sounds terrific. They were just rolling that out when we were there, and I had a dumb phone. :vulcan: So I was the runner. Fortunately, no Sandmen in sight... ;) (Sorry, wrong franchise...)
 
I pulled the trigger last night, 7 nights at the All Star Music resort, 6 of us with meals and 5 days at the parks for $5200.00. Then we're gonna take a day and drive to Daytona Beach.

My 2 year old told me this morning he'd be good and wouldn't cry and have a melt down :-)

Thanks everyone for your input and help!
 
When I visited Florida several years ago, I also did a trip upto Daytona, well more Daytona Speedway than the beach.
 
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